Afterlife
by Evergreendusk
Summary: Katherine never wanted to be who she is today, never wanted to be doing what she does. But she can't help it. This is her Afterlife. *Disclaimer! I do not own GOC this belongs to William Joyce.
1. The Afterlife

_**This is my first ever Guardians of Childhood series fanfiction. I didn't read the whole series, yet. I wish I did. But I couldn't find the books at all.**_

Katherine never thought she could become what she was now. She never thought such thing was possible for normal human beings, magical or not. She never thought she could awake and find herself as nothing, nothing but a shadow of her past, nothing but a dream, a nightmare, and a mirrored monster.

She was a child, a normal child, someone whom didn't exactly live a normal life. But now, she was someone whom didn't exactly die a normal death.

"Kathrine, where are you?" she asked herself. "I can't see through this darkness, I can't see through these lies."

She found herself crying, crying for who she was, what she had done, and what she will possibly do in the future. She wanted to die in this afterlife, this real nightmare. _Because dreams do come true,_ she thought, _just as this one did. This nightmare sort of dream._

What had she ever done do him? What had she ever done to the Nightmare King? Was it enough to bring her where she is now?

"Ah, Katherine, I see you are here. No, you are not Katherine anymore. You are _Cauchemar, m_ y daughter, _Nightmare,_ " said a familiar voice. "No, stop, don't cry, my daughter. You are fine. You've never cried in _Santoff Claussen,_ why should you cry, here, and now? Aren't you embarrassed to be crying next to your fath-"

"You are not my father," Katherine cut-off, in a stern voice. "You are the father of no one, and will never be anyone's father. What type of father burns there adopted child to ashes, and puts her in an afterlife so horrible, it is a nightmare itself? What type of _thing_ are you?"

Pitch looked shocked. "I am a shadow, King of Nightmares, and you will show respect and respect only to me."

Katherine ignored him and drew her finger around the wet floor. In the dark room, she couldn't see anything. But, everyone preferred it this way, as they would have been burnt down by light. Of course, Katherine wouldn't. She was more powerful than any Fearling; she could control the darkness. She could control it to cover the light from her view, to get it to hide her, to blind her, and to shield her. She didn't want to though, she wanted to have nothing to do with this world, this destruction, but it was in her blood. Her venomous blood.

She traced a picture of Ombric, of Big Root, and of home. _The home where I may never return to._ Katherine never looked up to her 'father'. She just kept her focus on the boring ground. Without looking up, she said, "Why should I respect you? What right do you have in owning me, like a dog?"

"You live on our lands, you wear our clothes, and you are _our kind._ "

This made Katherine look up. "You dragged me to your lands, you made me wear these black robes, and I- _I wish I wasn't your kind._ "

Pitch slapped her in the face. "Well, you are our kind, and what are you going to do about it? Don't worry. In a couple of years, you will like it."

"In a couple of years? Don't you mean never?" snapped Katherine.

"You are immortal, now, Katherine. You will live to never, forever."

She barely knew what this meant. She barely wanted to know what this meant. She would have to live a life in pain, forever. Or, rather, she would have to live an _afterlife_ in pain. Forever, until never begins.

"Go; dress in your darkest dress. We have some work to do, _daughter,_ " assigned Pitch, no emotion in his voice except a tint of a laugh.

"What are you going to do?" gasped Katherine, scared.

"The revenge of the Afterlife."

 _ **Now, I know this is really short. But this is just the beginning, and the rest of the chapters will be longer.**_


	2. Tess

_**There have been some technical problems with Afterlife.  
Sorry I couldn't update. I wrote this chapter a long time ago. I couldn't find it and it turned out to be in one of the random folders of my computer. **_

Katherine looked out the tiny gap of the wall, Pitch called 'window'. It was a portal window, really, and she saw Santoff Claussen, her home. The children slept in their beds quietly, while some adults started doing quiet hobbies- reading, knitting, sewing- all peaceful, and their breathing in the same beat.

But that wasn't what Katherine saw.

She saw their fate in their eyes, little by little, not knowing the downfall of magic itself, being slaves of lies, and not being able to do anything about it. She saw years of wandering around, fighting and losing, until- until the future came and swallowed them all up.

And she _was_ afraid. She wasn't herself now. She was one who ceased seeing the daylight, one dressed in the color of blood, seeing the world in black and white. Only seeing what Pitch wanted her to see.

And he wanted her to see fate.

The fate that he himself will cause.

Katherine had read books about all sorts of children Pitch tried to make into nightmare princes or princesses. The Man in the Moon was one of them. Without having to say, Pitch had failed. Without having to say, Pitch had failed to turn everyone before her.

So really, was she the one that was a success or the fail?

She was the success of Pitch and the fail of Santoff Claussen. _No,_ Katherine corrected, _I'm the_ fall _of Santoff Claussen._

She could only follow Pitch's instructions.

"What do you want me to do?" Kartherine asked, rolling her eyes.

Pitch chuckled, crossing his legs on his black ash throne. "Life," he simply stated, gesturing to the portal window. "Do you see it, my daughter?"

"No," Katherine responded.

"Good. I want you to make reality to what you see."

Katherine crossed her arms. "Right. Because that's possible."

"It is. What did that Ombric teach you?"

 _Wish. Wish. Wish._

"That you were a certified liar."

Pitch said nothing.

Katherine smiled, pleased with herself, pleased with the fact that Pitch had been silenced.

One of the Fearlings grumbled. "Wish life away, you idiot."

"You do it!"

Pitch chuckled that chuckle that made Katherine want to step up on his throne and slap him in the face at least until all the death was out from him. Even not until then. Katherine stared into Pitch's eyes, enjoying the silence, the tension, the-

"I'm hungry," complained another Fearling, breaking the silence.

Everyone turned to glare at him.

"Can we get pizza?" the Fearling asked again.

Another Fearling kicked him.

"Can someone please shut Bob up?" Pitch commanded. "You, 361, take Bob's voice, and you won't be a part of my Nameless Army anymore. Your name will be…"

"Theresa," Katherine interrupted. "Tess for short."

Pitch shrugged. "Sure."

The Fearling Bob complained. "Why? I just got my voice!"

Tess seemed to roll her eyes, putting a hand, reaching through the other Fearling's chest, hanging on for a moment, Bob screaming in pain.

Bob's screaming got cut off, him unnaturally slumping on the floor.

"You're the new 361, welcome," Pitch said, sarcastically sweet.

He lifted a hand, and the new 361 rose up. Pitch made a throwing gesture, 361 slamming to the wall.

Katherine felt as if Bob deserved that.

"Hello, my master," Tess greeted, raising a mysterious eyebrow.

"Good, Tess. You will be Katherine's assistant."

Katherine rolled her eyes.

"Tess, take Katherine to the tower mirror."

Tess nodded. She grabbed Katherine by the arm and dragged her up.

The staircase was winding and it had led Tess and Katherine to a bell tower.

"This," Tess said, "is not just any bell. It prophesizes dreams. And dreams are the morrors to your life, just like how eyes are the mirrors to your soul."

"Poetic."

"It's supposed to be true," Tess corrected. "Now sit down here and let me tell you a secret."

Katherine sat down.

"You must not tell this to anyone, but I am on your side. I will help you escape."

 _ **After months of searching I found it!**_


	3. Once Upon A Time

_**I just read the rules and guidelines of Fanfiction.  
I'd never thought I'd ever do that.**_

Most storybooks Isaac had read started with once upon a time. But how can there be once upon a time when there was no time in the Afterlife?

The Afterlife was just a dark black hole in the sky.

And Isaac himself was just a dark, black shadow living inside that hole.

Not just that, but there was a king of that hole, and evil figure. And not just that, but the king had subjects, the ones who trapped innocent people inside the hole.

And not just that, but Isaac was one of his subjects.

He wasn't one to do nothing when everything was happening.

But what choice did he have, for goodness sake? All he ever did was sit around, and turn people into shadows. Into nothing. Because he was nothing but a shadow, a nightmare and a pile of ashes.

And a boy

A boy

A boy

A boy

So long since he had heard someone call him a boy. So long since he became something a boy should never become. So long since he had been just Isaac.

He passed by Bob several times on this day. The usually talkative Fearling said nothing. He took in nothing. He argued about nothing. Because he couldn't argue about anything. Isaac wanted to apologize for slapping him in the face. He wanted Theresa to apologize for grabbing his heart from his chest and keeping it for her. He wanted Pitch to apologize for taking away Bob's voice. But he knew it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did.

Not until Bob got his voice back.

If he ever did.

Which probably won't happen.

Because Pitch didn't give second chances.

Isaac needed to take a walk.

Isaac found the stairs to the mirror tower, and decided to go there. There was nowhere else to go. Not that it mattered.

He, as a Fearling in a shape of a human, had to climb up the stairs. This was one of the unpleasant qualities a Voice Fearling had. Not that he was a brat, but the stairs were fifty-six steps high. And the steps were very high.

Isaac finally got to the top, panting, trying to catch his breath while listening to the beautiful sound of people's voices.

Wait

Voices.

Katherine was up here, and so was Theresa.

"Give me a reason why I should trust you." That was obviously Katherine.

"I can't think of one." That was obviously Theresa.

"Fair enough."

All he heard next were mumbles.

Isaac got closer.

"It's not like we can just go up to Pitch and…" Katherine mumbled something Isaac couldn't hear.

Isaac got closer.

"Yeah well we can- Wait a minute." Theresa's footsteps became louder. "Well, what have we got here?"

Isaac found Theresa standing right in front of him. "An innocent kid that you should just ignore?"

"First of all, how are you a kid? Second of all, how do I ignore you when you're right here?"

"I'll go," Isaac suggested, brilliantly.

Theresa grabbed him by the collar. "Oh no you won't. After you heard that, you will _not_ escape. If you want to keep your voice and maybe your family by next Wednesday, then I suggest you keep quiet to the rest of the world."

Isaac gaped as Theresa punched him in the face, two, three times.

"Tess! You can't just do that! He's innocent!" Katherine yelled, running to Isaac.

"See, Theresa? I said I was-"

Theresa slapped his hand. "You, shut up. Katherine, he heard us! We can't let this guy go without threatening him, at the very least."

Over the course of years, Isaac had learned that keeping silent was the best and most efficient way to get information out of someone. It was much true.

"Then we won't let him go! We'll make him join us, letting him help us with our plan."

"Not everyone who enters this room wants to help us!"

Katherine pointed to a Mirror. "What's that for?"

"Prophesizing dreams. I already-"

"So why don't we prophesize his dreams? Let his dreams tell us what he's planned for!"

Isaac didn't want them to prophesize his dreams.

Theresa lifted him by the collar painfully and dragged him in front of a mirror. "Now how does this thing work?"

"You don't know?" Katherine and Isaac said at the same time, startling each other.

"No one's ever taught me." Hopeless.

Isaac didn't want her to know.

Isaac turned to Theresa slowly, observing her use-to-be brown hair and use-to-be blue eyes. All he said was, "Some things are not meant to be taught." And it was true. It was so, so true.

Katherine waved a hand in front of the mirror. She poked the mirror. She kicked the mirror. "What's this supposed to be? Some magic mirror from Snow White?"

"What's that?"

Isaac didn't want to explain.

He waved the subject of fairy tales off, telling Theresa to just make the Mirrors work in some way.

She told him to close his eyes and fall

Asleep

Sleep

Sleep…

X~x~X

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Isaac.

And that was all there was.

 _ **Dramatic. Eh.**_

 _ **~Alicio**_


End file.
